Device for repairing inner tubes



W. J. RALEY.

DEVICE FOR REPAIRING INNER TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, I919.

1,39 1 ,209. Patented p 20, 1921.

I i W. LLREIIE ww %2Z%12 W. J. RALEY DEVICE FOR REPAIRING INNER TUBES. APPLICATION man name; 1919.

1,391,209. PatentedSept. 20,1921.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEVICE FOR REPAIRING INNER TUBES. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

Application filed December 8, 1919. Serial No. 843,203.

T 0 all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, WALTER J RALEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Repairing Inner Tubes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices for holding the inner tubes of automobile tires, or other similar articles insuch manner as to conveniently permit desired operations thereon such as the application of a vulcanizing patch and the preparation of the tube surface to receive such patch.

Heretofore it has been customary to manually grip the inner tube while carrying out the necessary abrading action to prepare the surface of the tube for the reception of a patch, and suchmanual operation is somewhat awkward and also involves the possibility of the operator losing the location of the leakhole or holes which maybe formed in the tube, necessitating again blowing the tube up to determine the location of the hole or holes.

It is therefore an important objectof my invention to provide a method whereby the repair of inner tubes or similar articles by the application of a vulcanized patch applied thereto, may be most expeditiously carried out, particularly when, in the instance of an inner tube, such tube would be provided with a plurality of'leak apertures.

It is also my object to provide a simple device which may be readily secured to a portion of the inner tube so as to properly locate the leak aperture therein and to hold the inner tube portion conveniently for a proper abrading operation thereon for the preparation of the patch, and for the vulcanizing operation of applying the patch.

It is further'i'ny object to provide a novel heat transfer element for the vulcanizing operation which may be most readily and conveniently applied in place so asto greatly increase the convenience in repairing inner tubes or like articles.

It is further my object to provide tube holding members which may be individually applied to a plurality of portions of the tube upon locating the leak-holes therein so that the leaky portions of the tube may be suc cessively operated upon in a most convenient manner.

A still further object resides in the provision of an improved arrangement for generating and applying heat to a vulcanizing patch under more or less emergency conditions of repair.

With the above and other objects and ad- I vantages in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, my invention resides-in'the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more particularly described and defined by the appended claims. r

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a tube repair device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view therethrough on planes indicatedby the broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the heat transfer member for the vulcanizing operation.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a slightly modified form of heat transfer member adapted particularly for use under emergency conditions of repair.

Fig. 5 is an elevational View of a vulcanizing steam table having a pair of my improved: devices associated therewith.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the tube holding blocks.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, my improved repair device includes a base block 5, preferably rectangular in cross section, said block being adapted to have a portion of inner tube 1' bent thereabout. A substantially U- shaped clamp yoke 6 has the ends of its legs pivoted at 7 to adacent ends of the side edges of the block, said yoke being adapted to embrace the block and to clamp portions of the tube against the side edges of the block whereby to hold an intermediate portion of the tube on the face of the block, the resilient compression of the tube between the yoke arms and the block serving to hold the parts tightly in place. The block has a socket member 8- secured to its under face and this socket member is engageable on a cylindrical pivot section 9 upstanding from a bracket 10 having portions including a screw 11 whereby said bracket may be clamped to a table or other support in the usual manner. Thus, when the hole 1n an inner tube has been located, that portion of the tube may be clamped on the block and the block then mounted on the pivot 9 to afford a convenient support in carrying out the abrading operation on the tube surface. A plurality of these blocks are preferably provided, and When the tube is provided with a number of leak holes, one of the blocks is clamped to the tube at each leaky portion so that the leaky portions may be operated upon in succession.

For transferring vulcanizing heat to a patch p disposed on the tiresurface after the necessary preparation of said surface, a metallic disk 12 is rovided,said disk having a pair of paral el passages 13 extended longitudinally therethrough and a pair of flattened spring rods 14 are slidably mounted in these passages, one end of each rod being bent in hook shape at 15 to engage the under surface of the block 5 and thus hold the disk pressed against the patch 19, the said parts being held in place by the resilient compression of the tube and by the flexure of the rods 14. Outstanding spacer studs 16 are provided at the corner portions of the block 5 and in the vulcanizing operation, as shown in Fig. 5 wherein the usual steam table 17 is provided, the blocks are invertedso that the disks, l2 engage the surface of the steam table, and pressure is applied by means of the usual clamp screws 18 carried by yoke members 19 inverted over the table, the spacer studs 16 engaging the table to limit the amount'of pressure applied to the disk. Said spacer studs 16 also afford a firm four-point support for the base block to prevent'wobbling movement thereof, and they prevent possible engagement of the inner tube at the corner portions of the blockwith the surface of the steam table. The heat from the steam table is thus transferred through the disk to effect the vulcanizing. operation under the proper conditions of pressure. The patch engaging face of the disk is preferably provided with a suitable symbol 18 whereby, as in a large shop, the operator applying the patch may be identifie My method thus consists in securing a base block to the inner tube adjacent the point of repair, in preparing the surface ofthe tube to receive the patch, this preparing step being facilitated by the support afforded the contiguous portion ofthe-tube by the base block, in then securing a heat transfer disk to the base block, said disk being disposed over the portion to be vulcanized and in thenapplying, pressure to the base block to ,press the disk against a heatv supply member.

I In Fig. I show a slightly modified structure adapted for use under emergency, conditionswherein the usual steam table such as I ShOW in Fig.1 would not be available, and in this structure the top of the heat transfer disk 12" is provided with a recess adapted to receive a combustion wafer of the type supplied on the market so that upon ignition of such wafer sufficient heat will be generated and transferred through the disk to effect the vulcanizing operation, it being appreciated that alcohol or other fuel may be placed in the recess of the disk.

I have thus provided an exceedingly simple and efficient repair device which may be most conveniently manipulated. I

VVhileI have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications of structure may be employed to meet differing conditions of use and manufacture without departing in any manner from the spirit of my invention.

What isclaimed is:

1. An innerrtube repair device comprising a base block, means for securing a section of inner tube on one face of the base block,'a sleeve secured to and extending from the opposite face of the base block,- and a pivot support member detachably engage able in said sleeve.

2. An inner tube repair device comprising a base block, a substantially U-shaped clamping yoke adapted to embrace the sides and one end of the block and having the free ends of its legs pivoted tothe block adjacent its other end, the arms of said yoke being adapted to clamp the sections of inner tube against the sides of the block, and detach-. able support means for the block.

3. An inner tube repair device comprising a base block, means for supporting said base block, means for securing a section of inner tube on said base block, a heat transfer disk adapted for disposition on the inner tube. and provided with a longitudinal pair of. passages extending therethrough, and apair of rods slidable in said passages and each. I having one end bent in hook shape to engage about an edge'of the block.

4. An inner tuberepair device comprising a base block, means for securing a section of inner tube on the base block, means for supporting the base block, a heat trans. fer disk adapted to engage on an inner tube and patch disposed on a block, and studs rising from said block and adapted to be engaged by a heat supply element to limit pressure of said heat supply element on the heat transfer disk.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I I have hereunto set'my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin. r 7

w..J. .RALEY. 1 

